Land train runs into lamppost in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A land train, which is part of a funfair in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens, pranged a lamppost on its first trip of the event today.

Fun in the Park, which opened at 11am today, offers family-friendly entertainment, rides and street food during this bank holiday weekend and half-term.

But the Magical Express, which takes people to-and-from the entrance of the gardens, ran into some bother when trying to negotiate a bend.

A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret they suspected the driver “misjudged how big the front of the train was” when turning a corner, before hitting a lamppost. They added:

“Fortunately, no one was hurt.”

The source also said the event “got off to a rocky start” due to issues with the generator.

They continued:

“There were problems with the generator first thing, which meant all the rides opened late. Once they did open, this train incident happened on its first lap round!”

The event, which is running daily from today and throughout next week’s school half-term holiday, is operated by Northallerton-based Crow Leisure Group Ltd.

It is the first time the company has held an event in Harrogate.

The land train. Pic: Crow Leisure Ltd.

The Stray Ferret contacted founder and chief executive, Alex Crow, about the train mishap.

Mr Crow said it was the “first time” the driver had operated the train around the Valley Gardens with passengers, adding:

“The corner seemed tight.

“The driver reversed back and drove forward again. No one was injured and there’s no damage to the train.

“We have now put mats down on the left side to allow it to make a wider turn.”

Mr Crow also said the train was taken for two practice runs around Valley Gardens this morning and five practice runs yesterday without people onboard.

When asked about problems with the generator, Mr Crow added it “needed a filter change”, which he claims has now been sorted.

He said:

“Everything is running smoothly now. People have said they’re really enjoying the event.”

The event is free to enter but rides come with a charge.

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What’s new this year at the Great Yorkshire Show?Sheffield United top Harrogate’s list of pre-season friendlies

Sheffield United are coming to Wetherby Road as part of Harrogate Town’s pre-season friendly fixtures.

Town announced four matches today as part of their preparations for what will be their fifth season in League Two of the English Football League.

Simon Weaver’s men hosted Sheffield Wednesday in a pre-season friendly two seasons ago.

Now they will take on Sheffield’s leading club, who have just been relegated from the Premier League.

The Blades, managed by Chris Wilder, will make the trip from South Yorkshire to The EnviroVent stadium on Tuesday, July 23 for a 7pm kick-off.

Town’s pre-season shapes up like this:

The club said further fixtures and ticketing information for these matches will be confirmed in due course.

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Judicial review threat to Ripon’s 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme

Ripon City Council could begin legal action to ensure key concerns relating to the 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme are addressed.

North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee granted government agency Homes England outline permission to develop Ministry of Defence land in the north-west of the city last week.

Although there is widespread acceptance that the scheme will go ahead, Ripon councillors, Ripon Military Heritage Trust and Ripon Civic Society have all called for safeguards to be installed on two key issues before the homes are built.

They want to see vital military heritage sites at Clotherholme preserved and a rethink on a proposal to ban right-turning traffic at the Low Skellgate / Somerset Row junction, which is one of many transport measures relating to the development.

The junction where traffic could be prevented from turning right.

Cllr Barbara Brodigan, a Liberal Democrat who represents Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division said she was disappointed local voices “did not have the impact we wanted” at last week’s planning meeting in Northallerton.

She said:

“There was a small success in that they will look again at the ‘no right turn’ proposal for the junction at Low Skellgate.

“However, I have campaigned for nearly four years now for the traffic assessment to be reviewed as I believe the existing one is flawed, having been conducted in June when there is less school traffic on the road.”

Neither Cllr Brodigan nor Cllr Andrew Williams, a member of the Conservatives and Independents group who represents Ripon Moorside and Minster, sit on the countywide strategic planning committee.

But both spoke at last week’s meeting to flag up concerns. Cllr Williams said:

“The banning of right turning traffic at the Low Skellgate / Somerset Row junction will mean my constituents effectively being cut off and having to find an alternative way to get to their homes.”

Last week’s strategic planning committee meeting.

The strategic planning committee agreed to review plans to preserve the city’s military heritage when the application comes back to councillors for the reserved matters application, which contains the details of the scheme.

But Cllr Brodigan said:

“This fails to preserve the military heritage, which I believe the planning committee intended, as the developers can start bulldozing the buildings under the planning consent.

“So it is not enough, unless the city council considers a judicial review, which I believe we will.”

Cllr Brodigan added:

“Homes England, like other developers, talk about place-making, consulting with the community etc. They say it is not just about chimney pots, but in fact it is.

“I would like to see some genuine engagement from Homes England with the Ripon Military Heritage Trust to preserve the significant military heritage at Clotherholme for posterity. We will ‘soldier on!'”

‘We need as many voices raised as possible’

Ripon Military Heritage Trust said in a statement it was disappointed the planning committee did not agree to a deferral “but instead approved the scheme without the safeguards in place that the trust believes to be essential to ensure the preservation of a group of the historic buildings”.

The statement added:

“Nevertheless, we were encouraged by the general support for the heritage expressed by a clear majority of the committee and for the view voiced by several members that land should be allocated for this purpose.

“And we were also partly reassured by the determination of elected members to keep the final decision on heritage preservation in their own hands rather than deputing it to officers as was being proposed.

“However, given that the committee in approving the overall development has agreed a plan to demolish all the barrack buildings, we are concerned that the developers may seek to pre-empt any decision on the heritage by simply bulldozing Deverell Barracks at the earliest opportunity.”

The Stray Ferret is backing the trust’s campaign to save Ripon’s military heritage and the statement said “we need as many voices raised in concerned protest as possible”.

The statement added:

“We are most grateful to the Stray Ferret for its continuing support of our fight to save this important part of our heritage.”

The houses are due to be built on land between Clotherhome Road and Kirkby Road.

The Stray Ferret is backing the trust’s campaign to save key parts of the city’s military history, as reported here. Please sign the petition here. 

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Beginner’s guide to whisky from a Harrogate expertNew deli to open in Harlow Hill next weekSummer DalesBus service begins in Harrogate district this weekend

Another summer DalesBus service will begin operating in the Harrogate district this weekend.

The 825 service, which operates on Sundays and bank holidays over the summer period, will serve people in Harrogate, Knaresborough and villages near Ripon.

The route departs at 9.02am from Wigginton, in York, before stopping at Knaresborough bus station, Harrogate bus station, Ripley Cross, Burnt Yates, Brimham Rocks and Fountains Abbey.

It then proceeds to Galphay, Kirkby Malzeard, Grewelthorpe, Hackfall Woods and Masham.

It continues as far as Richmond, where it arrives at 12.30pm.

The return service departs from Richmond at 3.15pm and will reach the first Harrogate district stop (Masham Market Place) at 4.10pm.

The 825 will run every Sunday and on bank holidays from May 26 to October 6.

Single fares are capped at £2 in line with the national initiative.

People can also use the 820 and 821 DalesBus services, which run throughout Nidderdale over the summer.

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Are these the worst pothole roads in the Harrogate district?

They are the bane of drivers’ lives and the Harrogate district is not immune to them.

Potholes can damage cars, buckle wheels on bikes and make some roads intolerable to drive down.

This past week, we asked readers to share what they feel are some of the worst roads for potholes in the Harrogate district.

In response, we received pictures from streets across Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.

Among them were Pannal Ash Road, Coppice Drive, York Place, Victoria Avenue and St Andrew’s Avenue in Harrogate.

Pictures of Kirkby Road and Firby Lane in Ripon, as well as Stockwell Road in Knaresborough were also sent to us.

Sharow Lane also made an appearance, which one resident described as in need of “long overdue maintenance” despite the council earmarking it for repairs.

You can take a look at the roads in our video below.

The Stray Ferret sent the list of roads to North Yorkshire Council and asked for a response to the concerns that they are in need of repair.

A spokesperson sent us the authority’s highways capital programme, which includes some of the roads, such as Sharow Lane.

They added that residents should report any potholes or road repairs directly to the council.

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The council had also previously earmarked Pannal Ash Road for a £300,000 resurfacing scheme in September 2023, which is due to be carried out in the summer this year.

In April, the authority announced that its annual roads repair programme would total £25.3 million and include 142 miles of roads across North Yorkshire.

At the time, Karl Battersby, corporate director of environment at the authority, said:

“Keeping our roads in the best condition for the money we have available is one of our key priorities.

“The annual surface dressing programme is a proactive measure that is vital to maintaining a safe network and preventing potholes arising.

“We carefully choose the routes and work closely with our contractors to ensure we deliver a cost-effective scheme despite ongoing inflationary pressures. The schedule will benefit residents in all areas of the county.”

Do you have a road which is riddled with potholes? Share your pictures with us via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook.

Harrogate to get new ceremonial mayor next week

Chris Aldred is set to be appointed the new Harrogate charter mayor at a meeting next week.

Mr Aldred is a Liberal Democrat councillor and represents the High Harrogate & Kingsley division on North Yorkshire Council.

The non-political role involves promoting the historic and ceremonial traditions of the Harrogate area during events and occasions.

It differs from the former Harrogate Borough Council mayor who covered the whole of the former borough and undertook a much wider range of engagements.

His fellow Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank is set to be his deputy.

The charter mayor will be elected by the Harrogate charter trustees after Mr Aldred was nominated at a meeting last year. These are 10 councillors representing divisions that cover the unparished parts of Harrogate town.

Mr Aldred said he was “honoured and humbled” to be nominated for the role.

It has been held by Conservative councillor Michael Harrison for the last 12 months when Mr Aldred served as his deputy.

Mr Aldred said:

“Whilst the role of Charter Mayor is very much ‘mayor-lite’ compared to the role played by the mayor of the former Harrogate district, there is a significant part to play as first citizen of the unparished area of Harrogate town.

“I am looking forward to representing the town at civic events and maintaining the traditions of the mayoralty at ceremonial events such as Remembrance Sunday, which I know are very important to many Harrogate residents.”

If, as expected, a Harrogate Town Council is created following elections in May next year, the new council will have the power to usher in a more wide-ranging mayoralty.

Mr Aldred added:

“I very much hope that I will be the last charter mayor and be able to hand over the chains of office next May to a newly elected chair of Harrogate Town Council. The charter trustees basically exist to babysit the mayoralty and its traditions until a town council is created, elected and fully functioning.

“Until then I will endeavour to carry out the role of charter mayor to the best of my abilities and represent our great & historic town as best as I can”.

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Mr Aldred worked in local government across Yorkshire for 23 years in the tourism and arts sectors. He has also worked at Bradford Cathedral, the Army Foundation College and Harrogate Convention Centre.

He was first elected as a councillor in 2018 to Harrogate Borough Council.

He’s been married to Sue for 35 years and is a keen runner, having completed more than 400 park runs. He also likes to cycle, look after his pet cat Zelda and explore old churches. He follows the trials and tribulations of Leeds United.

The meeting will take place at Harrogate Civic Centre at 9.15am on Thursday (May 30).

Harrogate and Knaresborough Reform candidate replaced after internal ‘bust-up’

Reform UK replaced its candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough after an internal row over some of his social media comments.

Richard Brown was named as the party’s parliamentary candidate in August last year.

But he was one of eight nationwide candidates described as ‘unsavoury rogues’  in a Mail on Sunday investigation in March.

The article claimed Mr Brown “made misogynistic remarks about Labour MP Jess Phillips” and shared false claims that doctors refused to treat Boris Johnson on the basis that he didn’t have covid.

Reform UK initially stood by Mr Brown but he was eventually replaced by John Swales, who stood for the party in last month’s Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election.

The two men were friends but speaking to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Brown said they had a “big bust-up two or three weeks ago” and he “didn’t want to see the bugger again”.

He claimed he was “sacked without justification” and described the Reform UK leadership as “incompetent”, adding:

“I’ve had to cope with it for last 18 months.”

Mr Brown said he and some other former Reform candidates and supporters had formed a movement called Restore GB, which had similar policies to Reform but “without the baggage”. He added:

“We want Reform policies but can’t work with the Reform hierarchy.”

Mr Brown said he was trying to register the organisation in time to stand as a candidate in Harrogate and Knaresborough at the general election on July 4.

He said he founded Reform’s party in Harrogate in February last year and had built it up to have hundreds of supporters, adding:

“Reform Harrogate would be nothing without me.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Swales about Mr Brown’s comments.

He replied:

“Richard Brown was appointed to set up Reform UK in Harrogate and Knaresborough and was part of the team that established their presence over the last 18 months.

“With a new prospective parliamentary candidate now in post and a superb team of activists being developed, Reform UK now have the opportunity to significantly enhance their profile and expand local awareness of their detailed policies.”

He added:

“The appointment and management of prospective parliamentary candidates is dealt with centrally by the senior leadership team at Reform UK headquarters.”

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